The truth about a complex built for veterans and the middle class and how it has evolved through the years to become one of the more interesting and controversial of New York stories.

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Management has two priorities: 1) Making sure money is made, hence upgrading and filling up apartments is their goal. "Amenities" are important in selling the place, though few residents use them. 2) If someone needs medical attention, Public Safety will be there, if alerted.

Quality of life issues are not that important, however. Things like the carpet rule or outsider dogs. These "rules" tend to be ignored, on purpose it seems. So you will see a lot that isn't taken care of properly, and complaints will be met with a creative excuse and a smile.

"Peace and quiet" must be a cruel joke, though this property is sold that way. There can be no peace and quiet as ALL apartments must be upgraded, which includes the installation of an AC unit below the window. Aside from the continual construction about the neighborhood, there is a new and noisy subway extension being built along East 14 st and the shut down of the L line. "Choosing" to live in NYC, now the newest mantra, is a fabrication when the talk is of ST and PCV, which was traditionally quiet, with no construction noise.

Though money was always important, it is now more important than ever. Money rules many things, as you will find.

At this point, 30 years into living here and seeing many things, I can state that Management and their reps are BS-ing us. I can't say that loudly enough: We are being BS-ed. I don't see any genuine change, though the "selling" of this place is intense. Few of the "rules" will be enforced, as Management doesn't want to lose customers or potential customers. Where personal integrity is a hallmark of an excellent management style, this integrity is not seen in enforcing some of the rules.

About those "club cars" we see going this way and that way, and outside of Stuy Town or Peter Cooper Village:

Friday, January 1, 2016

In Case You Didn't Get the Letter (Happy New Year)

58 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Compass Rock made a few big bad messes they have to "fix" so Blackstone Ivanhoe hands can look clean. What does the last paragraph mean for DHCR if Fannie is now the overseer of the leases being kept on the up and up? Do we go to Fannie with lease renewal complaints?

I would hope this is only an interim measure. There aren't that many managers that can take on a property this size, so an immediate replacement would not be easy. Better they choose an experienced manager with a good track record.

Compass Rock has clearly proven they're not up to the task. And I doubt they were cheap, seeing as they were working for their parent company, who was just forwarding the bill to the debtors in possession.

I didn't get the letter. As far as I'm concerned, they can go fuck themselves to hell because they are all the same shitty, rotten organization: TS/CW/CR/Blackstone. As far as the TA goes, they are just as filthy.

Separately, did pick and chose which apartments are the 5000? How did they decide that? Is 5000 an accurate number of "affordable" apartments left or did they decide some are to be saved and some tenants are to be kicked out? Who is choosing which people stay and which people go and when did this community sink so low, it used to be the nicest place with the nicest people? What is going on in Stuyvesant Town?!

The letter says To All Tenants of Stuyvesant Town, 8:55 that should mean you too. The communication on the identified affordable apartments is vague.

Word to those with noisy neighbors: Management must confirm carpets of good size and cushion. Recently even the Security team informed us that the carpet the offensive tenants had was tissue thin. They agreed that was not going to cushion their repeated blows of dropping metal, running floors with ride on toys.

This is off topic... but it is THE topic I am devoting myself to... the man-boys setting off their slap shot hockey bombs every Saturday and Sunday at 9:30+.... So it is Saturday and 9:40 AM they are back. BOOM! BANG! KA-POW!

Why does the skating rink staff not stop them? Isn't that part of their role to keep order on the rink? Oh gee.... they might lose money if the team got mad. Why isn't the "team" ((or whatever group it is) told by Recreation Management that they cannot pollute every single apartment around the Oval with the noise from their fun of banging the pucks against the walls. It sounds like a war zone down on street level, and in my 12th floor apartment, and in every apartment around the Oval.

And so we have proof that this "amenity" does not belong here. Because the man-boys of hockey can't control themselves, and the rink staff won't control them. Pathetic.

One has to wonder whether the fix was in to have CompassRock continue on as property manager. On the TA Facebook someone revealed that there's a contract for CR to continue for a year. This may or may not be a simple rumor.

Blackstone certainly did not do its research into how tenants feel about CR, nor did they do much research into how (in)experienced the company is. Well, maybe they did the research and just don't care.

I never received the letter either. As far as the skating rink goes, I went when it first opened and enjoyed it. I had not skated in a while and am on in years, so it takes me a while to get used to the ice. When I last went a couple of years ago, kids were racing across the ice with the hockey sticks and the staff did not enforce rules. I felt very uncomfortable and fearful that they would crash into me. I can imagine that it is very noisy. The TA and politicians really screwed us with this deal.At the meeting The rep from Blackstone was so phony when he responded to the resident call to get rid of Compass Crock with a rousing "We will listen to you and get rid of them if you do not want them".

Wait a minute, I thought once the tenants assumed control over the property we would have more say as to the goings on around here. Oh, that's right, the tenants didn't assume control. At any rate, Dan and the TA are not going to be happy about this and all I will say is that I wouldn't want to be Blackstone when Dan starts using the full weight of his office (along with the TA) to get CR the hell out of here.

Also, let's remember that Steinberg had a meeting with Blackstone and was able to see into their soul (not unlike Bush with Putin). She came out of that meeting extremely pleased and was expecting great things as I remember. Words like "we've never had a dialogue with a landlord like this before" come to mind. So lets all try to remain positive and take comfort in the knowledge that DG and the TA have our backs. They will not let us down, for they never have before.

On the contrary Mr r. They want to know what we dislike so they can turn the knife on it harder. Smart residents here full out nothing. They will use any info to their advantage and against us. Of we complain and say we hate compass crock they are elated --- in hopes we all move. So fducking obvious

The Committee and Partnership divided up the city between the billionaires, Dolan, Langone, Bloomberg/Taylor, Speyer, etc etc

Bloomberg said outright he would not help PCV ST tenants while at the same time he was helping himself to our homes.

Why the TA pushed Brookfield (also Bloomberg's Girlfriend's company as she sits on the Brookfield Board) or why the TA hired Paul Weiss whose client is Bloomberg Campus Consortium is beyond comprehension. Bloomberg and Brookfield and all those they control in Albany to City Hall are working towards 85% eviction of the working class.

Plus one to Anonymous' comment on the hockey noise every weekend morning. This morning it occurred to me while making coffee that hockey is a "pay for play amenity" which serves the interests of a small number of weekend hockey players who pursue a very noisy pastime at the expense of the comfort of hundreds of folks like me and Anonymous. Not very community-minded. What ever happened to the greater good? The spirit of the commons for one and all?

Example: Ask or beg them to keep on Associated, No. Ask them to remove CR, No.Ask them to address security problems, No.Ask them to address problems of skate rink, No.Ask them to decrease leaf blowers, No.Ask them for a plumber to arrive in less than 14 days, No.

Don't expect Councilman Garodnick or the ineffective TA do anything about the continued management by Compass Crock. They have proved in the past that they are totally ineffective. In response to a prior comment, they do not have our backs and pushed this deal on us. It is laughable to think that Garodnick and the TA really will get upset about this.

The TA Board royally screwed up the only chance they had the opportunity to affect the terms of the Blackstone deal and they Susan Steinberg had the sheer audacity to congratulate herself at the press conference and at the TA meeting . And all the politicians from Schumer to Maloney to DeBlasio to Garodnick to Hoylman ( and all else who congratulated themselves at those 2 events) similarly screwed us . The first evidence of this is the retention of CW lead by the nasty MacArthur. Notice that they could decide right away. We will still be waiting for positive changes for tenants for the rest of our lives

Really sick and tired of REBNY whining. They are pathetic. The government subsidizes their members, subsidizes their businesses, subsidizes corporations and airlines and automakers and real estate developers. So why are they complaining about rent stabilization - the subsidizing of People. If we subsidize the wealthy why are the wealthy so angry about subsidizing the one thing that makes this country great, the People.

Edmund Dunn, J Sicoransa and Vickie are correct and brave for calling out Gale Brewer's inadequate work for Small Businesses on T&V.

Gale Brewer should be ashamed putting forward that low level of work result for constituents. She lost our vote for any public office going forward. To us, she is a big part of the problem, the old tired ways of NY government we reject, that got itself a grade "F" and is nothing more than a con on the people she is supposed to serve.

Her bill is as they say, nothing more than a "stay of execution" for small businesses. Small busi essess do NOT need a stay of execution, they need not to be executed and under constant threat of execution at every lease renewal.

Gale Brewer should be fired from her job for poor work performance, for either not understanding the priorities of the Public Office she occupies or deliberately refusing to deliver on them, etc. Her bill reads like it was written by REBNY President Banks.

REBNY President Banks says this is about a fear of change - so let's throw it back his way. Let's change the way the REBNY operates with their llc loophole and close it: let's eliminate 421-A because building in NYC is a lucrative privilege that needs no "incentive bribes" of taxpayer dollars (if the current developers won't develop here without taking millions of taxpayer dollars so be it, there are millions of developers lined up behind them who will); let's increase and strengthen Rent Stabilization Laws to Protect People that REBNY Banks wants to eliminate, and more!

Change that Mr Banks!

Worst Manhattan Borough President in History: Gale Brewer. What a big disappointment.

To build on waht is all-wrong with the way Borough Presidents are operating, like Gale Brewer way of enriching the rich and robbing the poor and working class, this epitomizes the way they give millions subsidizing the wealthy while permitting the wealthy to rob the working class, in this example robbing them of Income Wages and Rent Overcharges:

This should be punishable by prison, but in the unlikely event if the current regime even addresses it, they will make the wealthy robber give back the money long after the damage is done. It pays to be a white collar criminal in New York and it pays them well. The DA and AG should be ashamed and replaced!

8:13 AM: that is a terrible injustice that is being perpetrated by these 421a landlords. If Stringer doesn't get off his fat ass and rectify this injustice, then he should be taken out in handcuffs by Preet Bharara. He is a landlord c*ck-sucking POS, just like his fellow NY politicians.

"Really sick and tired of REBNY whining. They are pathetic. The government subsidizes their members, subsidizes their businesses, subsidizes corporations and airlines and automakers and real estate developers. So why are they complaining about rent stabilization - the subsidizing of People. If we subsidize the wealthy why are the wealthy so angry about subsidizing the one thing that makes this country great, the People."

True. Our tax dollars go to every tenth rate piece of shit country in this world; we let in all the flotsam and jetsam of this world and they get everything for free, but we are being driven out of our homes by hungry, avaricious REBNY shit. No wonder so many people are rallying around Donald Trump. At least he speaks some truth, no matter how crude he is. He appeals to those who feel disenfranchised, just like Hitler did. Maybe our mainstream politicians should wake up and smell the coffee before it is too late.

New owner same or worse than old owner. First no response yet to thousands of tenant surveys except to retain CW as property manager which we all know was exactly the opposite of what the vast majority of the tenant surveys wanted and second for days the rear door intercom in my building has been inoperable and now there is a sign that the front door intercom is also out. I am waiting for imminent shutoff of heat and water. Way to go TA Board and our politicians for doing a fantastic job for Blackstone and CW in connection with the sale !

Thank you to the commenters on Town & Village who called Brewer out on her really bad small business bills. Garodnick did the same things with his really bad apartment inspection bills. These two are about headlines for themselves (albeit with ineffective bills) while they further the REBNY agenda, small businesses replaced by global corporate chain stores, middle and working class renters replaced with lots of empty hotel-style living towers, real musicians / artists like those that came from the East and West Village replaced by global commercial pop artists / events. REBNY is ruining New York with its generic commercialization.

Corrupt politicians and the corrupt system they run and operate, making laws for billionaires and against small businesses and people that they then use their appointed Judges to uphold in what is supposed to be the People's court is despicable. Brewer's bill is not only a stay of execution, it is a corruption of the courts.

By design it will serve only to obstruct People and their Small Businesses from Justice. So politicians like Garodnick and Brewer can shrug their shoulders and tell their constituents their hands are tied because as Dan likes to say to constituents who are being screwed out of their quality of life and assets "wellllll, it's legal"

The only reason it is legal is because the Dans and Gales are making laws to make it legal. Cuomo and his team and De Blasio and his team are REBNY owned and that pollutes our courts too since Cuomo and De Blasio appoint the Judges.

Completely agree with 5:13 and 8:13, the injustice perpetuated by incumbents from Stringer court house cabal to Brewer and Garodnick REBNY favoring bills to Cuomo and De Blasio polluting the courts New York is in CORRUPT CRISIS.

Anonymous said...8:13 AM: that is a terrible injustice that is being perpetrated by these 421a landlords. If Stringer doesn't get off his fat ass and rectify this injustice, then he should be taken out in handcuffs by Preet Bharara. He is a landlord c*ck-sucking POS, just like his fellow NY politicians.

NY Post reports today that Blackstone acquired $625 million worth of air rights when it bought Stuytown and PCV. This is in addition to the millions in tax breaks they received.More proof that the TA Board and our politicians ( all of whom have repeatedly congratulated themselves for their " great" work representating us tenants in connection with the sale , actually did a fantastic job for Blackstone ( and CW) while getting very little for the tenants. Please remember this when all of these people run for reelection . Schumer, Maloney, Kavanagh, Hoylman, DeBlasio, Garodnick and my " favorite" the TA Board all bear responsibility for their actions , not the praise they have been heaping on themselves and each other!

Yes, we all know that. Again, stop beating a dead horse. Again, who is going to start a new orgnanization? That organization will also have to have an attorney on retainer who is skilled in NSY RS law for the inevitable wave of MCIs to come. Waiting.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, will Blackstone be CR 3.0? Looks like it. Go to Yelp, management is starting again to respond to one star yelp reviews. Here is their response to that great negative review re the latest Carnival Cruise crap, “The Courts”:

“please accept my apologies for the fact that the activities on The Courts are so disruptive, but thank you for your comments. I will be reaching out to you privately to inform you of any changes to the operation we may be able to make. Thanks again for your feedback”

So it seems that Blackstone, despite many negative survey responses to the contrary, has been sold the bill of goods on how great these so called Oval “Tenant Amenities” are. And I’m curious, did anyone who posts here get asked to participate in a tenant focus group? I doubt it . I assume, just like when CWC/CR did their focus groups, the vast majority of the age demo they picked was students and just post graduate millennials.

I'm breakin into my happy dance. Oh, by the way, the two front doors which lead to my building are soo scratched up, they are a disgrace. It looks as though I am living in the PROJECTS. AND, I pay for them FOREVER. F O R E V E R !!! Spoke to management 3 times about this, and NOTHING gets done. Luxury living my a%*!!

Years back we got a flyer from Met Life re tenant issues. Carpeting had to cover 80% of flooring (as per lease) with Thick Padding and when management came to inspect (yes, everyone had to schedule a carpet inspection) they actually picked up the carpet to check on the padding. My upstairs neighbors for 20 years had wall to wall carpeting with padding and I never heard a sound from them.Of course STPCGV won't turn back t he clock because of the insane turnover of apartments and the type of tenant now moving in, but if anyone knows the name and number of the attorney who was able to get on family's upstairs neighbor to put down wall to wall carpeting , please post it here.

Your building sounds exactly what mine actually looks like. They have their priorities in what they choose to maintain. From all the moving in and out of these students and God knows what else that's here. There is no excuse for the property to look this. New potential tenants have to shaking their heads when they see this. Buyer beware.

Agree with 2:35 on the uselessness of the lawyers who are out for themselves only. Do not give them your hard earned money. If your upstairs neighbors are continuing their noisy harassment after being politely told, and after security and management has been informed so there are records of the awareness of the noise but it continues then that is deliberate harassment to get you to move out. That is a crime.

Report it to 311 and give the neighbors names and address when you file the complaint. It is their job at 311 to take ALL noise complaints. Be sure to include the neighbor's names i your report.

Until There Is Silence No More

The Tenants Association and our councilman Dan Garodnick have mysteriously remained silent about a purported incident that occurred on July 12: the mugging by a group of individuals of someone right by Peter Cooper Village, along 20th Street.

The TA is basically done. Tenants can complain, but any action is negligible. The TA is effectively dead.

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"We'll be introducing a new process to identify registered dogs thus enabling Public Safety Officers to clearly approach offending dog owners. The registration will hang from the leash handle; clearly identifying the dog as registered.

"If the dog is not registered by May 1; a summons will be issued at the point of contact. If we learn the dog owner is not a resident, they will be escorted off the property."

Rick Hayduk, CEO and General Manager of PCVST. Letter to Barry Shapiro, February 2016.

STR here: I have been around since the inception of this dog policy and I have NEVER seen anyone escorted out of ST or PCV with their non-lanyard dog. But I have seen, many times, a dog owner from outside, and his/her dog, casually walking through ST or PCV.

THINKING of Renting in PCVST?

Read Yelp reviews to find out what it's like living here. Please note: All apartments are currently "rent-stabilized" but that doesn't prevent apartments from going up to 4K to 6K a month and even higher. How does this happen? Ask our politicians! Fact: Now less than half of the complex's apartments have the old rents and it's getting worse year by year--or better if you are the Real Estate Board of New York!

The Other Yelp Reviews

Yelp can be tricky and bounce reviews for a variety of reasons, like being a member and posting just one review. Very often, however, these reviews hold important truths about what's being reviewed. READ THESE TOO.

BICYCLES, MOPEDS, SCOOTERS, ETC.

Of course, "private property" but "public access" - whatever that means! And if a part of it is public access, do the rules of the city apply to our roads and sidewalks? Or does anything give because this complex is "private property"? Who comes here in case of a fire in one of our buildings? The Stuy Town Fire Brigade?

Hint: Look both ways if you are in the complex. Look on the ground, too!

61.03 Control of dogs and other animals to prevent nuisance. (a) A person who owns, possesses or controls a dog, cat or other animal shall not permit the animal to commit a nuisance on a sidewalk of any public place, on a floor, wall, stairway, sidewalk, lawn, garden or roof of any public or private premises used in common by the public, or on a fence, wall [or], stairway or entranceway of a building abutting on a public place

Banned & Oversize Dog Breeds in Stuy Town

Looks like there is some difficulty in enforcing the ban on certain dog breeds allowed inside Stuy Town/Peter Cooper Village. Somehow pitbulls and pitbull mixes have been registered in STPCV and are allowed to be freely walked about the grounds! Registered dogs in the complex are max 50 pounds. Total, if there is more than one! More than two, it's illegal. It's going to get worse, and, face it, Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village will never be like it once was.

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Read it and Weep

Current Value of ST/PCV

Was 5.4 Billion Dollars when Tishman Speyer bought the place.Became 1.7 Billion Dollars when Tishman Speyer left, with their tail between their legs. Of course, tenants now have to make up the loss.

Ex-landlord

Rob Speyer

1947 Stuy Town Plaque Honoring Met Life Chairman F.H. Ecker (Removed in 2002 and never seen again)

"... who with the vision of experience and the energy of youth conceived and brought into being this project, and others like it, that families of moderate means might live in health, comfort and dignity in park-like communities and that a pattern might be set of private enterprise productively devoted to public service."

I am writing on behalf of everyone at Tishman Speyer to express how honored we are to become part of your outstanding community. We are a business with deep roots in New York, a true love of our city and a great respect for the neighborhoods that make it special. We are committed to maintaining the unique character and environment that have made Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town such a wonderful place to live for so long. We look forward to providing you an extraordinary level of service and attentiveness that will be the source of pride and satisfaction for the entire community.

Neighborhood Recommendations

New to Stuy Town/Peter Cooper Village? Here are some basic recommendations.

Best supermarket: Associated on 14th St. between 1st Ave. and Ave A. The cheapest prices, fantastic weekly sales, very affordable lunches; solid, responsive management, but earthy. Some of the young female cashiers have attitude to spare, though. May be too far for Peter Cooper residents.

Best gym: Don't waste your money on the Oval Fitness Gym. Instead go to the earthy but real Asser Levy Recreational Center, right above 23rd St on Asser Levy Place (near the FDR Drive). $75 for a year's membership; seniors are almost free. Contains seasonal indoor and outdoor swimming pools, ping-pong table, two pool tables. Called by some rich people who wouldn't get caught going there "the prison gym," and you know why.

A Stuy Town favorite is Lenz's on 20 St. between the 20 St. Loop. The way New York used to be. Be careful of unwanted "pepper" in your food, however. Lenz's got a B grade rating and was temporarily closed down due to an order from the Health Department. Bruno's on First Avenue is more upscale, with a greater selection of food items (higher-priced, too), but was closed down temporarily by the Health Department. Stuy Town's own cafe was closed, too! And not because of all the dogs that hover and piss outside.

Gracefully has two locations, but we prefer for its size the one on 1st Ave. Prices are high and reflect the new tenants that are currently renting Stuy Town and Peter Cooper apartments. ("Do you have a credit card?") We like Gracefully's lunch specials, which are somewhat affordable.

I priced the CVS on 1st Ave near 14st. The non-aerosol hairspray was 20 cents above CVS' own website price, and one of the highest in NY. (Yes, I have hair.) You can save at least a dollar or more buying at another place. So beware. Look around for a better deal on all your items.

I love warm Quaker Oats in the morning. Gristedes is not the place to get it, nor is Associated, though their price is less. Look around!

Macular Degeneration Support Group

If you are currently diagnosed with Macular Degeneration, the New York Eye & Ear Infirmary is offering a support group for you. Conveniently located next to the Peter Cooper Village Stuyvesant Town apartment complex, our group offers the opportunity to share stories with other members, listen to expert guest speakers, and learn coping strategies to reduce stress. Our group runs on the first Wednesday of every month and we would enjoy seeing you there.
Please contact Baptiste Nicolas, Social Work Assistant at 212-979-4105 for further information and to see if this group is right for you!